Tag: Porter

A Drink on the Dark Side

I don’t usually drink very many stouts and porters but I have found myself trying quite a few during the last month or so and enjoying them very much. I am not going to enter the debate about the difference between the two styles other than to say that hey are both dark beers. If your only experience of stout is Guinness, as good as this can be, do try some of the newer styles that are out there. I doubt that you’ll be disappointed.

Wildbeer. Millionaire. Chocolate Stout. 4.7% – Black, opaque with a tan head. Aromas of plain, dark chocolate, coffee,  sweet caramel,  and malt. Full bodied with gentle carbonation. Flavours of coffee, toffee and liquorice. A long slightly bitter finish.

Magic Rock. Common Grounds. Triple Coffee Porter. 5.4% – Dark, opaque with a small tan head. Aromas of espresso, coffee liqueur, chocolate and malt. The palate is medium minus bitterness and gently carbonated. Flavours are predominantly coffee and vanilla. The finish is coffee liqueur and is very long.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast. Coffee Stout. 7.5% – Black, opaque with a thin tan head. Aromas of coffee, malt, some chocolate, espresso, tobacco and smoke. Palate is medium bitterness with gentle carbonation. Palate has less flavour than expected but this is a nicely balanced beer with a great lingering finish with a touch of cherry.

Siren Craft Brewery. Broken Dream. Breakfast Stout. 6.5% – Dark and impenetrable. Aromas is coffee and caramel with slight herby notes. The palate is rich and complex with lots of coffee and some chocolate. The mouthfeel is good. Not overly sweet. Low/medium bitterness with a nice level of carbonation. Very nice indeed.

Peerless. Oatmeal Stout. 5% – Dark with a garnet tinge and a small tan head. Aromas of coffee, malt, toasty bread and chocolate. The palate is rich, smokey, coffee and chocolate. Low bitterness, gentle carbonation and a nice mouthfeel.

Loka Polly. Chinook. India Stout. 6.2% – Dark, opaque with a good thick tan head. Coffee, caramel and grassy aromas. Nice mouthfeel, medium bitterness, good carbonation. Flavour is coffee, some caramel, chocolate and pine. An incredibly long, coffee finish.

Loka Polly. Citra Columbus. Stout. 7.1% – Pours black and opaque with a light tan head. Nose iOS lemon. grapefruit with roasted malt and chocolate. Palate is low bitterness and gentle carbonation. A lovely roasted, nutty, chocolate flavour with citrus. A nice bitter finish that end with hint of coffee.

Beavertown x Caravan. Spresso. Imperial Espresso Stout 9% – Pours intense black with deep tan head which doesn’t persist. Nose is subdued but there is coffee. chocolate, malt and a hint of herbs/floral. Palate is soft, round with gentle carbonation and medium minus bitterness. There flavours of coffee, plain chocolate, caramel and nuts. There is a touch of sweetness but nothing too much. A lovely lingering fin ash with coffee and a hint of spice.

Tailgate Brewery. Peanut Butter Milk Stout. 5.8% – Dark, opaque with a large tan head, very lively! Aromas of lightly burnt toast, malt and toffee. The palate is low bitterness, gentle carbonation and a nice texture. There is a slight sweetness and the flavour of peanut butter begins on the mid palate and carries on through to a lingering finish.

Tiny Rebel

Tiny Rebel brewery was founded in 2012 and is based near Newport in South Wales. In 2015 it won champion beer of Britain for its Welsh Red Ale CWTCH, a beer that it continues to make. It has recently produced three gins, distilled to complement beers in their range. They have an excellent range of beers and here are my tasting notes from recent samplings. If you haven’t come across Tiny Rebel then seek them out. The artwork on the cans is good too.

CWTCH. Welsh Red Ale. 4.6% – Dark amber, clear with a good, frothy, tan coloured head. There are aromas of malt, caramel, citrus and a hint of pine. The palate is low to medium bitterness, gentle carbonation and a slight sweetness. There are flavours of malt balanced by a nice touch of citrus. There is a slight tropical note underlying the malt. The finish is long and lingering.

CLWB Tropicana. Tropical IPA. 5.5% – Hazy orange in appearance with a small, light tan head. Aromas of mango, pineapple, peach, orange and penny fruit salad sweets. The palate has gentle, light carbonation and low bitterness. the palate is fruity with lots of peach and burnt orange together with a big hit of pineapple and a slight sweetness.The finish is excellent with tropical fruit and a lovely citrus tang. Excellent.

Dutty. Vermont Session IPA. 4.2% – Orange/yellow, cloudy and pours with a good off white head. Aromas of mango, grapefruit, peach and pineapple along with a touch of pine. Palate has nice carbonation, low bitterness and a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Flavours of malt, citrus and hoppy fruit. A nice bitter, pine finish.

Cali. American Pale Ale. 5.6% – Golden appearance with a slight haze and a small white head.Aromas of pine/resin, tropical fruit and a hint of citrus. The palate is medium bitterness with pine, lemon and a touch of caramel and tropical mango. Mouthfeel is a little soapy.

Fubar. Pale Ale. 4.4% – From cask. Yellow in appearance with slight haze and a good white head and nice lacing. Aromas of gentle citrus, malt and pine. The palate is smooth, low bitterness, gentle hops and a touch of caramel. Easy drinking is style, very quaffable.

Juicy. Tropical Golden Ale. 4.8% – From cask. Golden, hazy with little or no head. Aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple and mango. Very fruity with a malty core. Palate is juicy tropical fruit and fruit salad sweets. low bitterness, nice mouthfeel and a slight sweetness. the finish is lingering mango. Very nice.

Stay Puft. Marshmallow Porter. 5.2% – Dark brown, opaque with a thin tan head. There are aromas of coffee, malt, dark brown sugar. Palate is marshmallow, coffee, chocolate, molasses but without the sweetness, Low bitterness but with a nice crispness and gentle carbonation. Slightly creamy mouthfeel. A nice roast coffee finish. I done usually drink a a lot of porters/stouts but this was very enjoyable.